There are many ways to finish the legs of your characters. Of course, you can follow the template exactly, however with just a couple of tweaks, you can create shorts, skirts, boots and more!
If you are new to DYO clipart – you will find the basics of using the templates HERE.
The Original Template
If you follow the lines of the original template you will end up with legs that look like this. Choose whether you want to color the exposed ankle flesh color or use another color to create socks.
How to Create Boots
Using the same template, you can easily create a pair of boots with just a simple tweak. Decide how high you want the boots to be and draw a line across the trousers in the correct place. This will form the top of the boots.
Then join the line from the top of the boots down to join the shoe.
Try finishing the top of the boot so it stretches slightly further out than the leg to give the illusion that trousers or leggings are tucked into the boot.
How to Create Board Shorts / Capris / Pirate Pants
Another easy tweak to make is to create long shorts, in board short, Capri or pirate pants sort of style.
To do this, decide what length you want the trousers or shorts to be and draw lines across the legs at the correct place.
Trace the top of the trousers as normal and finish the legs by drawing inside of the trouser line. If you want to make baggie shorts, try flaring the trousers out from the knee.
You can of course create short sporty shorts, however you may prefer to use our sport shorts templates for those.
How to Create Long Trousers
If you want to create longer trousers which cover the ankle, just extend the length of the leg. Draw a line from the end of the trousers in the template to the top edges of the shoe. You will see that the curve formed by the top of the shoe across the foot, makes a natural looking curve at the bottom of the trouser leg.
How to Create a Skirt & Leggings
It’s also very easy to tweak the template to create a skirt and leggings. To do this, draw a line across the legs where you would like the skirt to end. Give the line a slight wave so it doesn’t look too artificial. Trace the outside edge of the top of the trousers to form the skirt.
To create the leggings, draw inside the trouser line to form the legs.
If you fancy giving your character boots to wear with their leggings, follow the instructions above.
Following this method of making tweaks to the template, it’s also very easy to turn the skirt into a tunic by simply following lengthening the lines of the top so they join the trousers.
Tips for Template Tweaking
The best tweaks to make are simple ones like we are doing here. If there’s a dress style or character you’d like to see which isn’t here – let me know so I can add it to the template list.
Here are some tips for how to tweak the templates to create your own variations:
- Trace the template ‘as is’ to start to get a feel for the character
- Hide the template layer and see what needs tweaking with fresh eyes, not influenced by the template
- If you have created a character or style you like, instead of starting again if you want to tweak the templates too create something new, just duplicate the layer and erase the part you want to tweak
- Have fun!